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Graham
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Titanic Memories
There must be a few folks out there with memories of working on the set of Titanic at Fox studios Baja. My wife Bonni and I and our two children were
gainfully employed as core group extras for almost six months.
With the 100th anniversary of the sinking "right ahead," and the release of Titanic 3D I guess there's no escape.
Typecast as the happy drunk...
Encouraging the Irish arm wrestler v the big Swede...
Another long night of filming...
Family joining the third class exodus
Survived the Titanic...
And always time to sign a copy of Into a Desert Place for a fellow frozen corpse.
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mcfez
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What perfect timing Graham! Was reading another one of your books while in baja a few weeks ago...and you had said that you did work in the movie. I
couldn't see what part you were doing...til now! Surprise not to see you holding a beer in your hand during the filming :-)
Thanks BTW.............for the GREAT reads.
Old people are like the old cars, made of some tough stuff. May show a little rust, but good as gold on the inside.
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woody with a view
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very nice! can you expand on how you and yours were in the right place, and what it paid?
not that it matters any, but i'd like to know the backstory.
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BornFisher
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Graham--- Great pics and memories.
I think what made the movie, was the typecaster was a genius!! 
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David K
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Thanks Graham... always like seeing you play the drunk in the Titanic... you make it look so REAL!
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Marita-LosOlivos
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Great pics Graham. I drove by the Titanic set many times on my way to the States and I got a couple great pics of the ship!! I became interested in
the story back in 1985 when they found the wreck. So I was so excited to be driving by the set, not knowing who was in the movie or what it was
about. I met you Graham, at Rancho Sereno in San Quintin, BC after the filming, and you told me lots of great stories of your time filming in
Rosarito. You were on your way south with a burro. :-) I have seen you in the film many times and remember the stories you told me about filming.
Thanks so much for sharing your stories with me. It makes watching the film a lot more interesting. Thanks for sharing your pics on here. :-)
[Edited on 4-13-2012 by Marita-LosOlivos]
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Graham
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Yes, with all those steerage party scenes I was rarely without a bottle or a glass of beer...
Unfortunately it was warm sweet root beer... not delicious cold Pacifico or Tecate.
As to how we got involved... I believe we were at a Scottish bagpipe/Highland sports day in Vista or somewhere in 1996 and saw an ad in a publication
saying extras of European extraction wanted for a movie being made in Rosarito Beach.
I sent in pictures of myself and my family thinking we might get a few days work and experience on a movie set. Well we were taken on as a third-class
family - had to quit jobs and transfer kids to a studio teacher on set for six months.
As I recall we were all paid $400 plus a week, housed in a condo on the beach (the Grand Baja) and promised a substantial bonus if we saw it through.
It was a highly rewarding but unbelievably exhausting experience. I should have written a book about it, but instead felt I needed to recover down in
Baja for a while, so I walked from Tecate to Loreto with burro#2... and wrote about that.
I put on 10 lbs on the set with all the waiting around and fast food catering, but with boots and burro and a 1000 miles before me I probably shed
15-20 lbs.
The set looked so amazing, both day and night, quite surreal at times, and Marita it was great seeing you at Rancho Sereno. I recall leaving my burro
there to rush back to San Diego to catch the opening night of Titanic in 1997.
Couldn't miss that.
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woody with a view
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nice!
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TMW
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What an experience, thanks.
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Barry A.
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What fun, Graham. Great post. Thanks for the pics and wonderful stories. (& books, of course) 
Barry
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thebajarunner
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Great story from a great story teller....
Now, finish the story...
about that "substantial bonus?"
did they come through??
I am so tired of seeing the same old Hollywood faces in films,
like Clooney, Cruise, et al
I say let's promote Graham as the next Hollywood lead man!!
Hurray for Graham, down with Clooney
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sancho
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Remember seeing you in the Movie, one part I
noticed, as only an old beach boy would, is the
waves breaking off the side of the ship off
Rosarito, a little out of place as the ship was supposed
to be at sea. Haven't read the ' Marroned' book yet,
found your wife's quotes about you on your site
kinda funny
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Stickers
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Now in theaters - Graham in 3D 
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Graham
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Location: San Diego and DeTour, MI
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Me in 3D! Wow! Not to be missed!
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Graham
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Yes with those waves you had to get the camera angles right.
Fortunately, so much of the movie was shot at night and on the tank side.
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capt. mike
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really looking forward to the Blu-ray DVD.
still never seen a 3D movie in a theater.
guess i'll wait for a home set.
formerly Ordained in Rev. Ewing\'s Church by Mail - busted on tax fraud.......
Now joined L. Ron Hoover\'s church of Appliantology
\"Remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over....\"
www.facebook.com/michael.l.goering |
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Graham
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Can Hollywood Do This?
When I read the original script I was amazed by the film’s portrayal of William Murdoch, long regarded as one of the heroes of the night and one of
the most respected officers of the White Star Line. On the basis of dubious evidence he’s seen shooting two of the passengers before turning the gun
on himself. And on the basis of no evidence whatsoever, and running counter to everything we know about the man, James Cameron’s screenplay portrayed
him as taking a bribe to let Billy Zane in a lifeboat.
The script had Murdoch’s body hitting the sea and the money floating out from his coat pocket.
The charge seemed ludicrous and insulting to the memory of a brave officer who was last seen by fellow officers and crew struggling and succumbing in
the freezing sea after doing all in his power to save as many passengers as possible.
It didn’t take a genius to see how this would be received back in his native Scotland, especially in his hometown of Dalbeattie, proud of its famous
son.
While on the set I printed out information about Murdoch from the Internet and email correspondence I had with Susanne Störmer, a biographer of
Murdoch, which echoed my indignation and the absurdity of the bribery charge.
When I got a chance, I gave the information to actor Ewan Stewart who was playing Murdoch. And a few days later when we were shooting the scene I was
relieved that the screenplay had been changed to at least suggest some ambiguity in the bribery account. No longer did the money float out from his
coat pocket, rather he threw it back in the face of Billy Zane just before supposedly committing suicide.
But the money was in Murdoch's pocket long enough to leave the impression that he was willing to take it.
To placate the outrage in Scotland, after the release of Titanic, Twentieth-Century Fox sent a representative to Murdoch’s hometown to apologize for
the portrayal and make a £5000 donation to the Murdoch prize for which local children had been competing for the best part of a century.
Small compensation perhaps for assaulting the character and reputation of a true hero who gave his life to save about 75% of those who made it off
Titanic alive.
Ewan Stewart as First Officer William Murdoch
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David K
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Wonderful 'insider info' Graham!
[Edited on 4-14-2012 by David K]
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mcfez
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Excellent background story on William Murdoch.....perhaps the next Titanic movie production will hire you as a advisory.
Okay....here's a plug for you Graham..........because you gave me HOURS of fine entertainment reading these GREAT books that you wrote. My favorite
was "Marooned With Very Little Beer".
Marooned With Very Little Beer
Into a Desert Place
Journey with a Baja Burro
Nearer My Dog to Thee
Where the hell is book number 5 ? 
| Quote: | Originally posted by Graham
Can Hollywood Do This?
When I read the original script I was amazed by the film’s portrayal of William Murdoch, long regarded as one of the heroes of the night and one of
the most respected officers of the White Star Line. On the basis of dubious evidence he’s seen shooting two of the passengers before turning the gun
on himself. And on the basis of no evidence whatsoever, and running counter to everything we know about the man, James Cameron’s screenplay portrayed
him as taking a bribe to let Billy Zane in a lifeboat.
The script had Murdoch’s body hitting the sea and the money floating out from his coat pocket.
The charge seemed ludicrous and insulting to the memory of a brave officer who was last seen by fellow officers and crew struggling and succumbing in
the freezing sea after doing all in his power to save as many passengers as possible.
It didn’t take a genius to see how this would be received back in his native Scotland, especially in his hometown of Dalbeattie, proud of its famous
son.
While on the set I printed out information about Murdoch from the Internet and email correspondence I had with Susanne Störmer, a biographer of
Murdoch, which echoed my indignation and the absurdity of the bribery charge.
When I got a chance, I gave the information to actor Ewan Stewart who was playing Murdoch. And a few days later when we were shooting the scene I was
relieved that the screenplay had been changed to at least suggest some ambiguity in the bribery account. No longer did the money float out from his
coat pocket, rather he threw it back in the face of Billy Zane just before supposedly committing suicide.
But the money was in Murdoch's pocket long enough to leave the impression that he was willing to take it.
To placate the outrage in Scotland, after the release of Titanic, Twentieth-Century Fox sent a representative to Murdoch’s hometown to apologize for
the portrayal and make a £5000 donation to the Murdoch prize for which local children had been competing for the best part of a century.
Small compensation perhaps for assaulting the character and reputation of a true hero who gave his life to save about 75% of those who made it off
Titanic alive.
Ewan Stewart as First Officer William Murdoch |
Old people are like the old cars, made of some tough stuff. May show a little rust, but good as gold on the inside.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65278
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Does Graham needs a new adventure book idea!!??
A series of short trail stories ('Tip Toe to Baja') about hikes to interesting Baja sites; a fresh look at the El Camino Real in central Baja as it
has been 38 years since Harry Crosby did it ('On the Spanish Mission Trail in Baja'), or a nature guide: 'Minerals and Mushrooms are just the
Beginning'...
Go Graham go!
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